In Ahmedabad, many women have traditionally earned money rolling cigarettes or selling produce by the roadside. Both are under threat – cigarettes through legislation, and roadside vending from wider, faster roads and the improved bus network. Construction is the second largest industry in India and thus construction work has become a viable alternative. While construction workers previously completed most work by hand, globalization has allowed for the arrival of technologically advanced machinery. Thanks to these machines, work gets done more quickly and easily. However, many poorer workers don't currently have access to or know how to use these machines, putting them at a disadvantage in the job market. There are several issues facing female construction workers in particular. They are discriminated on the basis of gender in payment of wages and winning of contracts. An unskilled or semi-skilled female worker will be paid less compared to her male counterpart. Given the opportunity, women are capable of learning new skills or upgrading their existing skills. The main problem is accessibility to equipment and training.

This project will provide the resources and training that these women need to survive in the form of a “tool library”. Through the tool library, female construction workers can rent tools and equipment for a nominal fee. This self-sustaining solution requires seed funding to purchase the tools. In the future, rental income from the tools library will meet the project expenses, ensuring the economic sustainability of the project. With the appropriate training and access to necessary tools and machinery, female construction workers will have access to better opportunities in the construction market. This will result in increased income and more stable livelihoods for female construction workers, bringing them into the mainstream and allowing them to provide for themselves and for their families.

The construction industry is the second largest industry after agriculture, which provides an excellent opportunity for increased employment. According to a report submitted by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) there are 396 million Indian workers in the unorganized sector, 44 percent of which work in construction. The Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), works to unite women workers in the informal sector. Since its inception in 1972, SEWA has organized 1.256 million informal workers throughout India. In the construction industry, SEWA has organized 111,395 members nationally and 11,746 members in Gujarat. Of the residents of Gujarat, 0.6% are construction labor workers.

Meet your partner community, and read their messages and profiles.

Manjulaben Parmar

Manjulaben's story

My name is Manjulaben. I have been working as a construction worker for the last 20 years. I had studied up to class. I have been working with various contractors on daily wages basis. On the days when no contractor come to give me work, I go and wait at cross roads / Kadia Naka for getting work. I have been associated with SEWA for the last 10 years. SEWA’s organizers told me about the training programme at ITI. Initially I was not keen to take this training. I was explained the benefits of this programme by SEWA’s organizers. This convinced me to join the programme. I took training for Plumbing. The training made me aware of various aspects of plumbing such as:

• Types of plumbing material and their usage
• Joints / couplings
• Various types of Pipes used in plumbing
• Calculations

Prior to this training, I had been working as an unskilled labor. Now I have a fair idea of matching joints with couplings. Even though the training was for only a month, it has given me the confidence to take up plumbing work that requires some skill. I wish to learn about the usage of various tools and equipments available at Tools Library.

Vimlaben's story

I am 36 years old. I have been a construction worker for the last 15 years. I used to work as a labourer. My work involved lifting and carrying bricks and sand at construction sites. I have been associated with SEWA for the last 10 years back. I took on the job training in:
• Stone paving
• Compound wall making
• Lying tiles
This training helped me a lot. Earlier, I use to be engaged in unskilled work of lifting and carrying material at construction sites, and my daily earnings were around Rs.40. Now, I am able to take up small contracts. My daily earnings have gone up to Rs.300. A tool library would help me even more.

Direct Impact of Your Project

Direct beneficiaries would be the number of women who will be trained and have access to the tool library. Through this project, participants will be given training on how to use the latest machinery thereby upgrading their skills. They will also have access to the tools needed to complete contracts. This will make them more viable in the construction market.

Extended Impact on Your Partner Community

Training plays a significant role in developing the skills of construction workers. As Master trainers they will give training to other unskilled workers of the community. Their families will also benefit from an increase in income and income stability.